AW: Interview mit Adrian Grant (Thriller Live)

The King of Pop may have passed away, but Michael Jackson’s music lives on, not least in the touring Thriller Live show which comes to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate this week.

Show creator Adrian Grant knew Michael for more than 20 years and attended the memorial service in LA, where he saw the rest of the family at their home that day.

He was also the first UK journalist to interview Jackson at Neverland and was invited back several times by Michael for interviews and to attend the studio to witness the recording of some of his biggest albums.

Thriller Live will run in Northampton from May 26 until 28. To book tickets call Northampton 624811 or visit royalandderngate.co.uk

1 Can you tell me a bit about the Thriller Live show?
Thriller Live is the ultimate celebration of Michael Jackson’s music. We don’t tell the story of Michael’s life, but we celebrate the King of Pop via two hours of song and dance. It’s a feel-good show that the whole family can enjoy.

2 And what are your thoughts on the cast?
I’d say we have one of the hardest working casts out there, and the audience certainly get their money’s worth with a high-tempo, high-energy production.

3 What was it like meeting Michael Jackson in person?
I first met him in 1990 and didn’t have any preconceptions of what he would be like. But from the moment I did meet him he was kind, funny and had a big smile. He was very talkative about many different subjects, but mainly he liked to have a laugh and joke around. That’s not to say he wasn’t ever serious because he was an absolute genius in the recording studio and when performing.

4 What do you think was Jackson’s musical legacy?
There will never be another Michael Jackson. The music industry has changed and is far more instant then it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. Michael grew up during the Motown era, and worked hard with his brothers touring and perfecting their craft. Furthermore, he learnt from greats such as Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Jackie Wilson and James Brown. He always said he would “study the greats and aim to become better!”

You may find an individual who can sing better or dance better, but what made Michael the King of Pop was that he did everything, and he did it so very well and with his own style. As a songwriter he was sometimes underrated, but hits such as Billie Jean, Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, Earth Song and Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough are pure pop classics. As a singer he had an incredible four-octave range, and as a dancer he created breakthrough videos such as Beat It and Thriller, and was complimented by none other than Fred Astaire.

5 What was it like for you to be able to attend the memorial service alongside the Jackson family?
My first thoughts were for his family, especially his mother Katherine and three children. They had lost a father and a son, and this became evident when I went to the family house after the service. I gave a copy of my book, Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary, to Paris, and when she looked at the cover and saw a picture of her dad, she just thanked me and gave me the biggest hug. She was a really nice girl, and she ran into the lounge to tell her grandmother Katherine about my book. Mrs Jackson was also a lovely lady, and it’s good to know that Michael’s kids will be brought up with the same love and devotion that he would have given them.

6 Which is your favourite Michael Jackson song?
There are too many to name just one. Many of them are in the Thriller Live show which is just over two hours long, but because Michael has so many great songs the show could easily have been five hours long. So I just had to choose songs which would take people on a journey through his career as well as including the big hits such as Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal. My favourite section of the show though is from the Off The Wall album with songs like Rock With You and Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.

7 What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Michael told me that you needed rhinoceros skin to survive in the entertainment industry. He also taught me to really reach for the stars, follow your dreams and be the best you can. He was very much a perfectionist.

8 What does your perfect day involve?
Sunshine, good friends, good music and good food.

9 How do you like to spend your time when not working?
I like to chill out at home, watch a good movie or some football, usually Liverpool FC.

10 What book did you last read?
I’m currently reading The Accidental Billionaires (about the founding of Facebook), which inspired the film The Social Network.

11 What meal do you most like to cook at home?
I live by myself so usually keep it simple with a pasta dish or jerk chicken and rice.

12 What is your proudest achievement?
Having Thriller Live open in London’s West End in January 2009 and it is still playing there two-and-a-half years later.

13 What is your worst habit?
Getting up at the break of dawn.

14 What car do you drive?
A Range Rover.

15 What is your most treasured possession?
My memories, but as for items it would be a signed picture that Michael Jackson gave me and a prayer book I was given as a child from my mum.

16 What has been your best moment?
The birth of my daughter in 2001.

17 What has been your worst moment?
Not being able to play football any more due to a hip injury.

18 What makes you laugh?
Stand-up comedy, used to like Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. Today I find Chris Rock very funny along with the TV show The Inbetweeners and Misfits.

19 Who has most inspired you in your life?
Michael Jackson, Richard Branson and Martin Luther King.

20 What ambition would you most like to fulfil?
To write and direct a film that stirs great emotion in millions of people around the world.